BILL #    SB 1538	TITLE: corporation commission; non-thermal generating unit
SPONSOR:    Carroll	STATUS: As Introduced
PREPARED BY:    Nate Belcher

Description

The bill would add non-thermal (such as solar and wind) energy generation facilities to the statutory definition of "plant", which governs the Corporation Commission's Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee responsibilities for approving the siting of power lines.

Estimated Impact

We estimate that the bill would generate additional workload for the Siting Committee.  To the extent that the bill would generate a need for additional Committee resources, that cost would typically be covered by the fees paid by applicants, which range from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the specifics of the power plant and transmission line under review. The monies are deposited into the Utility Siting Fund, which is used to fund all Committee activities.

The Corporation Commission estimates the bill would cost $232,000 and 2 FTE Positions from the Utility Siting Fund to review the Siting Committee's findings prior to Commission approval. Of this amount, $210,000 would be ongoing for salaries and employee-related expenses and $22,000 would be one-time for the cost of training, certifications, and equipment.

Local Government Impact

None

2/28/25